Fundamentals of Math, Physics, and Statistics for Future Transportation Professionals
Anurag Pande, California Polytechnic State University
Peyton Ratto, California Polytechnic State University
Ahmed Farid, California Polytechnic State University
Copyright Year:
Publisher: Mavs Open Press
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
CC BY-NC-SA
Reviews
The text is very comprehensive. A glossary is provided at the end of each chapter, and includes external references to its entries. The text covers a broad range of fundamental mathematical concepts relevant to the transportation field. read more
The text is very comprehensive. A glossary is provided at the end of each chapter, and includes external references to its entries. The text covers a broad range of fundamental mathematical concepts relevant to the transportation field.
The concepts covered in the book appear to be completely accurate. The majority of the content provided in the text is made up of links to Khan Academy videos.
Material is relevant. Text sources referenced range from two to fourteen years old. The majority of sources are Khan Academy videos which could cause issues if something were to happen to the referenced youtube videos.
The written text is mostly made up of brief introductions to each chapter and subsections. Each chapter has a written section about the relevance of it's content to transportation engineering.
Text is consistent in use of variables and definitions provided in glossary sections. Nomenclature used is consistent with industry norms.
Each chapter is mostly made up of interactive elements that are not directly available in the downloadable PDF of the text. Readers are sent to youtube videos instead of reading much material directly.
Concepts in the text seem to build upon one another naturally. They appear to be ordered from least to most complex.
The downloadable PDF is not user friendly. Because so much of the text is links to youtube tutorials or interactive practice problems, it leaves readers having to use external URLs to the online version of the text.
No apparent grammatical errors.
Due to the nature of the material, not many cultural references are made, if any. Anecdotal examples in the text use a balance of feminine and masculine gendered pronouns.
Due to the nature of this text, it may only be helpful for students with access to the internet. This could lead to accessibility issues for some students.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- About the Authors
- Chapter 1: Trigonometry Functions and Geometric Measurements
- Chapter 2: Polynomial, Exponential, and Logarithmic Functions
- Chapter 3: Systems of Linear Equations
- Chapter 4: Calculus – Interpretation and Methods for Integration and Differentiation
- Chapter 5: Motion and Forces
- Chapter 6: Basic Dynamics and Static Equilibrium
- Chapter 7: Waves and Doppler Effect
- Chapter 8: Probability: Basic Principles and Distributions
- Chapter 9: Data Analysis - Hypothesis Testing, Estimating Sample Size, and Modeling
- Glossary
- Links by Chapter
- Image Credits
- References
- Derivative Notes
- Errata and Versioning History
Ancillary Material
Submit ancillary resourceAbout the Book
This textbook and OER material cover tools and basic knowledge required to master the prerequisite essentials of physics, mathematics, and statistics applied in transportation engineering. To our knowledge, no such textbook currently exists to build the KSTs (Knowledge, Skills, Tools) for college freshmen’ remedial courses required by most transportation engineering graduate programs that admit non-engineers (e.g., PHYS 141, MATH 142, STAT 321 at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo). The textbook modules are intended for students with undergraduate degrees in planning and other less technical fields who are interested in pursuing transportation careers where background engineering knowledge is required.
This textbook is a product of the grant OERTransport: Enabling Transportation Planning Professional Advancement awarded to the University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) in consortium with California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and the University of South Florida (USF). It was developed under an Open Textbooks Pilot grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education. However, its contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and no endorsement by the Federal Government should be assumed
About the Contributors
Authors
Dr. Anurag Pande is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Cal Poly. His research interests include traffic simulation, engineering education, community engagement, data mining applications, and observational data analysis, including in the areas of traffic safety and crashes, driver behavior, transportation resilience, and emergency evacuation.
Ms. Peyton Ratto graduated from Cal Poly with a dual MS degree in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering with a specialization in Transportation.
Dr. Ahmed Farid is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the department of Civil Engineering at Cal Poly. His research interests include traffic safety, data mining applications, and observational data analysis, including in the areas of traffic safety and crashes.